Western South Dakota, special needs healthcare desert

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Christian Green, 23, lives in Sioux Falls, not by choice, but by need. Christian was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at a young age. Six years ago, Christian’s mom, Kari Green, said she had to make a difficult decision for her son. Where will he spend much of his life? The care Christian needed was not available in Rapid City. This is still the case.

Puberty caused Christian crises to intensify. These situations became worse, Kari says many times they would end with Christian at the emergency room.

“The school district, that’s one component, could not meet his needs. When he started to go into those crisis episodes, he went to the emergency room and then he went over to the West Unit. Now, we have the short-term crisis center, which is a good thing, but then what?” Kari says Rapid City is lacking long-term solutions for people like Christian.

At 17, Rapid City Area Schools could not care for Christian. He had no place to go. Christian needed care; at 17 he received an emergency placement at Lifescape in Sioux Falls.

“I was so scared because I felt like I was giving up on my son. It was the most difficult position I had to make in my life,” said Kari.

Christian is still in Sioux Falls.

“People might question, ‘Well why don’t you just pick up and move?” I don’t feel we should have to pick up and move,” explained Kari.

Christian’s situation reflects a Child Health Data Report, 20.9% of children with special health care needs say they receive care in a well-functioning system. South Dakota Department of Health hopes to raise that by 0.5% to 21.45%. That’s still 1 in 5 saying they receive proper care.

Christian’s move home is still up in the air. Only one home exists in Rapid City that can support his needs. Kari questions losing hope. She sits up in her chair sharing that she tells others to never lose hope.

For 6 years now, Kari has traveled to Sioux Falls twice a month. A heavy financial burden for her. Another stressor for the mom who is hundreds of miles from her son.

Kari says Christian is getting better. His crisis episodes are not as frequent..

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